“Isn’t that a shame
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“Isn’t that a shame? Or I wish it were〞 J.W. Sims When we were small and did something wrong our mothers were quick to say: “Shame on you.〞 It was expected that when an individual did something that was wrong, bad, unkind, or immoral that they would be ashamed. It was expected that they would be embarrassed concerning their wrongdoing. How things have changed over the last thirty years? Now, things are not the same, the world has changed, our schools have changed and our hearts have changed. We have clouded the idea of what is wrong, and in so many ways have made it seem as if nothing is wrong, that we have the freedom and right to do anything we want to, and without shame. To most of the younger generation and now unfortunately even the older generation very little is wrong, and most everything that use to be wrong is now considered right. We have gone from a strict rule of right and wrong to anything goes as long as it is right for me. Today we do not have to submit to authority; the authority of parents, of teachers, of employers, and yes, even to God and the church. When you stop to think about it, shame comes through doing what is wrong or unacceptable, in doing what is morally or socially considered being evil. Shame comes mainly from the principles of the Word of God and the reason we have little shame today is because we have thrown out the value and authority of the Bible. Therefore, where is shame if there is nothing that says it is wrong to do something? There was a time when even our school system supported the basic Biblical foundations, but as the schools threw out the Bible as its foundation, they also threw out the need to follow basic acceptable behavior. This became not only true for the student but also for the teacher. Therefore, today we have so thrown out Biblical principles that there is no longer wrong, bad behavior, there is now no longer sin. Anything goes, and God forbid that anyone would stand up and say to anyone: “What you are doing is wrong, or sinful?〞 There are many verses we could look at concerning the word shame or being ashamed but we will just look at a few of them and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. One of the first places I would like to take you to is the very beginning days of our old mom and dad, Adam and Eve. In Genesis 2:25 we read: “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.〞 Just think of it; brand new creations of God and without shame? Before sin, there was no shame, there was no reason to be ashamed for shame comes with wrong doing, with disobedience and sin. In Genesis 3 however, where Adam and Eve disobeyed God we see a glimpse of the entering of shame as well as its consequences. As you know they took of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge that God told them not to take, but they took it and they ate it. Afterwards, we see that this disobedience brought a shattering of their innocence and they knew they were naked. As a result of this they made aprons from fig leaves and covered themselves. Next we see that when God was looking for them they were afraid, they were ashamed and they hid themselves. The sin they had allowed into their lives caused them to be fearful, caused them to try and do something about their nakedness and caused them to want to hide from God in shame. Yes, initially man was ashamed because of sin and wrongdoing, but over the years it seems that this basic shame is falling from our society here in America and all over the world, that the enemy himself is working to cause us to no longer be ashamed, to no longer be in fear and therefore in need of running to God for mercy and forgiveness. We have so thrown out His Word and rebelled against God that nothing bothers our people, and we can now do anything we please without conviction and in so doing we even have become proud of our sin. In Ezra 9:5-6 we see this concerning Ezra and his spiritual concern: “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, and said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.〞 Here the precious man of God was in heaviness over the sins of himself and the people of Israel. He was ashamed and even blushed before God over the sins that had increased. Are there any who will stand before God and blush and be ashamed because of our sins? Are there any who will blush for their sins as well as the sins of those they love? Perhaps God is in search for those who will be ashamed not only for their personal sins but also for the sins of family and friends.. Psalm 119:80 shares with us some important truth concerning shame when it says: “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.〞 This is important for the indication is that those who remain solid in their obedience to the Word will not have to be ashamed. Is this not good to know, that shame can be avoided, that if we but rest in His Word and allow Him to work in and through our lives we need not experience shame? Along with this verse Psalm 25:2-3 goes very nicely: “O my God, I trust in thee; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed; let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.〞 If we trust in God we will have no need of being ashamed over our sins, if we but wait upon Him we will have no need to be ashamed. Those however that will not trust in Him and who sin even without a cause, they will be ashamed. Sure it may not be today, as they may be like so many in our modern world, but eventually shame will come when they have to stand before the Father. Ephesians 5:11-17 is a beautiful passage of scripture that is worthy of our time, but allow us to center our attention on a small portion: V. 11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.〞 As Christians we are to have no fellowship, no oneness, no involvement with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather are to rebuke such things. “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.〞 If way back in Paul’s day the unfruitful works of darkness were so bad that it was even a shame to speak of them, what do you think they might be like today? Yes, some things that are simply a work of darkness are things that we should not even speak of and yet we live in a day that folks are actually proud of them and want to share them with the others. How sad are the days that we live in and how sad that there is an absence of shame. Romans 6:21 is so appropriate for our lesson today as it wonderfully describes the difference between being an individual who has come to know Christ and an individual who has not. Yes, in years gone by there seemed to be a greater sense of what was right and wrong, there seemed to be a sense of shame that no longer exists, but as this verse clarifies when we come to Christ, we look at things far different then we once did. “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.〞 Paul makes it clear that there was a time when these Christians had no shame, they were not ashamed of the things they did, but now after having the Holy Spirit come into their lives, after having a changed experience with Christ they now are ashamed of what they once did. This is when we know a person is new in Christ, when he now grieves over and has no pleasure in talking about what he or she once did, for now it grieves their heart. Sure they can rejoice in all that Christ has done and rest in their forgiveness but they always will remember and be ashamed for the past lifestyle they chose. Now, they also realize that the fruit of such evil only brings death. This I think is what people who have no shame do not realize and that is, that the end result of their lifestyle brings death, not life, but death, death in this life and death for eternity. How careful we must be if our hearts have become so hard that we have no shame, how we should pray that God’s grace would come into our lives and reveal our sin and cause us to be ashamed. The final but wonderful verse I will leave you with is found in I John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.〞 Let us each be honest before Him, are we ready at this moment for His return? If He came at this moment are we ready? Would we be confident? Or would we be fearful and ashamed at His coming? Are there things in our lives that we know should not be there? Are we ashamed? I hope so because being ashamed is the first sign that there is hope for us to find forgiveness, cleansing and salvation. 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/4bb3de3c1a2e453610661ed9ad51f01dc28157e3.html